Events

Visit

Visit to Whitechapel, London

Whitechapel

Wednesday 25th February 2026

IPM members

As part of our continued programme of visits to high streets and town centres - hearing directly from IPM members and partners as we shape thinking around the Government’s emerging High Street Strategy - we will be visiting Whitechapel High Street.

Two years on from support provided through the High Streets Task Force, this visit will explore what has changed, what has endured, and where further intervention may be needed. We will examine governance, business engagement and public realm improvements, and consider how momentum can be sustained in a complex, fast-changing London context.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Rachel Nickeas at ipm@mmu.ac.uk for further information.

In person

Placemaking a Swansea Food Trail Workshop

Urban HQ, 37 Orchard Street, Swansea

Tuesday 3rd March | 9:30 - 14:15

IPM and non IPM Members welcome

Join Dr Alessandro Graciotti or a dynamic event focused on strengthening connections between farmers, local producers, hospitality businesses, and local authorities, all working together to build financially viable and socially and environmentally sustainable local food supply chains. Discover how we can enhance Swansea’s unique heritage and cultural vibrancy -engaging museums, farmers’ market organisers, hiking and cycling tour providers, and wider tourism partners - to create an attractive, thriving destination and an exceptional place to live.

Register here

Roundtable

High Street Strategy Roundtable

Online

Friday 6th March 2026 | 10:00 - 11:30

Invite only

High streets face well-rehearsed structural pressures: the shift to online retail, hybrid working, fragmented ownership, squeezed margins and short-term funding cycles. Yet they are no longer simply retail destinations; they are evolving into platforms for social infrastructure, local enterprise, culture and civic life. The real issue is not just vacancy or footfall, but purpose, governance and long-term stewardship. How do we align property, policy and people around a clear function?

IPM Senior Fellow Ben Stephenson is collaborating with ATCM, British BIDs, the High Street Consortium, Power to Change and others to shape thinking around the emerging UK Government High Streets Strategy. This roundtable is part of a wider collaboration to inform the Government's new strategy.

Invite only (If you are interested in attending a future roundtable please contact Ian Harvey (ipm@mmu.ac.uk)

Roundtable

High Street Strategy Roundtable

Online

Friday 6th March 2026 | 13:00 - 14:30

IPM Members

With the Government confirming that a new High Streets Strategy will be published later this year, attention is turning to what it will actually mean for towns and city centres across the country. The critical question is not whether we need another strategy - but whether it will deliver meaningful, place-based change on the ground.

Join us for an IPM Members Roundtable to discuss:

What a credible High Streets Strategy must include to drive sustainable local economic growth
How health, neighbourhood governance and social infrastructure shape high street vitality
Where does the Pride in Place strategy fit in? And what about the hundreds of places that are not receiving any funding?
The relationship between high streets and the Industrial Strategy
What local areas need in practice - not just in policy - to revitalise town and city centres

If you are interested in attending a future roundtable please contact Ian Harvey (ipm@mmu.ac.uk)

Visit

Visit to Wallsend, North Tyneside

Wallsend, Tyne and Wear

Monday 9th March 2026

IPM members

As part of our continued programme of visits to high streets and town centres hearing directly from IPM members working in place as we think through the Government’s emerging High Street Strategy we will be visiting Wallsend.

Wallsend was the 2025 Visa Let’s Celebrate Towns High Street Transformation Award winner and has impressed with its targeted business support offer, including attracting and supporting 19 new businesses to the town centre since 2023. The award, announced in July 2025, recognises the dedication of local people, improvements to shopfronts, and a strengthened sense of community.

During the visit, we will meet Wayne for a walking tour to hear how Wallsend has progressed since winning the Transformation Award and to understand what lessons might inform wider thinking around the High Street Strategy.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Rachel Nickeas at ipm@mmu.ac.uk for further information.

Webinar

International Women's Day

Online

Tuesday 10th March | 13:00 - 14:00

Open to IPM Members and non members

To mark International Women’s Day, IPM is hosting an online event celebrating the contribution of women to place management and place leadership.

Speakers include Diane Dunkley, Eli Seath, and Lisa Carlson (Chair of ATCM) with more speakers being added.

The discussion will explore leadership journeys, challenges, and opportunities across practice, policy, and research, with a focus on learning that others can apply in their own roles. We will hear from a former MSc graduate, a current student in the middle of the course, and a student who joined the course in 2026.

This event is open to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and students and counts as Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Register here

In-person

Ian Harvey speaking at West Midlands Combined Authority

West Midlands

Thursday 12th March 2026

IPM members

High streets face well-rehearsed structural pressures: the shift to online retail, hybrid working, fragmented ownership, squeezed margins and short-term funding cycles. Yet they are no longer simply retail destinations; they are evolving into platforms for social infrastructure, local enterprise, culture and civic life. The real issue is not just vacancy or footfall, but purpose, governance and long-term stewardship. How do we align property, policy and people around a clear function?

Ian Harvey will be speaking at the West Midlands Combined Authority High Streets event, drawing on the work of the High Streets Task Force and sharing learning from the Institute of Place Management to inform future strategy and delivery.

Visit

Visit to The Piece Hall, Halifax

The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax

Monday 16th March 2026

IPM members

As part of our continued programme of visits to high streets and town centres - hearing directly from IPM members and partners as we shape thinking around the Government’s emerging High Street Strategy - we will be visiting The Piece Hall.

Now a nationally recognised music destination and creative hub, The Piece Hall demonstrates how heritage-led regeneration can drive footfall, support independent traders, create jobs and strengthen civic pride. Its events programme attracts regional music fan and visitors from all over helping to underpin the wider evening economy. The visit will explore its cultural impact and its broader economic and social impact on Halifax.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Rachel Nickeas at ipm@mmu.ac.uk for further information.

Roundtable

Towards a Sustainable Fallowfield: A Joint Action Roundtable

Ladybarn Community Hub, Manchester, M14 6RN

Tuesday 24^th March | 9:00 - 12:30

Members Invite only

This Joint Action Roundtable will examine how civic universities, public sector bodies and private sector partners can respond to the Inquiry’s recommendations for new institutional approaches towards Fallowfield. Co-led by students and local residents, it will consider practical and collaborative approaches for fostering a neighbourhood that is thriving, vibrant, and genuinely sustainable for all. The final briefing and full report, published in October 2025, highlighted how systemic imbalance in Fallowfield negatively impact both long-term and student residents.

Led by Dr Kate Seymour.

In-person

Research Seminar - Methods for Researching Places

G.35, Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University

Thursday 26th March 2026 | 15:30 - 17:00

Open to IPM Members and non members

Join us for our IPM Research Seminar to explore a variety of academic research methods, this will be an in-person event where we will be joined alongside our 2025 and 2026 MSc Place Management and Leadership cohorts.

Register here

Webinar

Sharing Learning from the Journal of Place Management and Development

Online

Thursday 2nd April 2026 | 11:00 - 12:00

IPM members only

The session brings together insights from journal contributors and practitioners to reflect on emerging lessons for town centres, neighbourhoods, governance, health, culture, and regeneration. It is designed to be accessible and discussion-focused, translating research into practical learning for people working in places.

Webinar

World Health Day

Online

Tuesday 7th April 2026 | 12:00 - 13:30

Open to IPM Members and non members

Join us on an online World Health Day webinar exploring how place shapes health outcomes and why tackling health inequalities requires place-based action. Bringing together leading researchers, policy thinkers and practitioners, the event will examine the evidence on spatial health inequalities, the role of housing, planning and local systems, and what works in narrowing the gap between communities. Speakers will share insights from across the UK and internationally, with a focus on practical lessons for people working in place management, local government, health, regeneration and policy.

Register here

Webinar

IPM Webinar - Music and Place

Online

Wednesday 22nd April 2026 | 13:00 - 14:30

IPM Members and non members

Music plays a powerful role in shaping how places are experienced, remembered, and valued. This IPM webinar explores the relationship between music and place, examining how music contributes to identity, economy, wellbeing, and community life.

The session will bring together perspectives from research and practice to discuss how music can support place management, cultural strategy, regeneration, and inclusive growth. It will consider lessons from towns, cities, and neighbourhoods, and what place leaders can learn from music-led approaches.

The webinar is open to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and students worldwide and counts as Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Register here

Webinar

RSA X IPM Webinar - Netherlands in Spotlight

Online

Monday 11th May 2026 | 13:00 - 14:00

Open to IPM Members and non members

*The webinar is open to all. RSA membership is not required; however, you must create an RSA profile to register

Webinar

Alumni Webinar: Place Management and Leadership

Online

Thursday 14th May 2026 | 12:00 - 13:00

Invite only / Graduates of the MSc Place Management and Leadership

IPM is hosting an online alumni webinar for graduates of the Place Management and Leadership programme to reconnect, reflect, and look ahead.

Whether you completed the PGCert, PGDip or MSc, this is an opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni, reflect on how far the profession has come, and explore what’s next for IPM and the wider place‑making community.

We’re also pleased to share that Laura Laver, a colleague from Manchester Met’s Alumni Relations Team will be joining us, offering insights into the wider alumni community, opportunities for engagement, and how IPM alumni can stay connected across the university.

The webinar is open to IPM alumni worldwide and counts as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Invite only.

Webinar

Senior Fellow Webinar: Place Management and Leadership

Online

Tuesday 2nd June 2026 | 13:00 - 14:30

Invite only / Senior Fellows

IPM is hosting an online webinar for Senior Fellows, bringing together experienced place leaders to reflect on emerging priorities in place management and leadership.

The session will share IPM’s emerging research priorities and key findings from the latest IPM Member Survey, highlighting what these insights mean for professional practice, policy, and future collaboration. There will be space for discussion and reflection on how alumni experience can help shape IPM’s research, education, and CPD offer.

In-person

IPM Symposium

Manchester Metropolitan University

Wednesday 10th June 2026 | 10am onwards

Open to IPM Members and non members

The IPM Symposium is confirmed for Wednesday 10th June 2026 - and it’s a special one.

As we mark this milestone, the 2026 symposium will convene our community of practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to explore how the discipline is evolving and where it goes next.. We will be sharing the latest research from colleagues.

More details coming soon

In-person

IPM at the RSA Annual Conference

Gothenburg, Sweden

Monday 15th - Wednesday 18th June 2026

The Institute of Place Management team will be hosting a workshop at the RSA annual conference in Gothenburg. This is part of our on-going partnership with the RSA.

In-person

Towards Relational Public Services - PERU

Manchester Metropolitan University

Wednesday 23rd - Friday 25th June 2026

IPM members only

This conference organised by colleagues in Manchester Metropolitan University seeks to continue to the challenges of making Relational Public Services a reality for service users, professionals and academics alike: in an increasingly complex world, how can public services and social interventions create and sustain positive lives for the people and populations they serve?

More information

Webinar

Sharing Learning from the Journal of Place Management and Development

Online

Thursday 9th July 2026 | 11:00 - 12:00

IPM members only

The session brings together insights from journal contributors and practitioners to reflect on emerging lessons for town centres, neighbourhoods, governance, health, culture, and regeneration. It is designed to be accessible and discussion-focused, translating research into practical learning for people working in places.

Webinar

Sharing Learning from the Journal of Place Management and Development

Online

Date: 1st October 2026 | 13:00 - 14:00

IPM members only

The session brings together insights from journal contributors and practitioners to reflect on emerging lessons for town centres, neighbourhoods, governance, health, culture, and regeneration. It is designed to be accessible and discussion-focused, translating research into practical learning for people working in places.

Webinar

IPM Webinar - Mexico and Football

Online

Date: TBC

IPM Members and non members

Football is deeply connected to place, shaping identity, pride, economy, and community life. As global attention turns to the World Cup, this IPM webinar explores the relationship between football and place, drawing on research from Manchester Metropolitan University.

The session will share insights from Manchester Met's research on football, culture, community, and place-based impacts, and reflect on what major tournaments reveal about place leadership, legacy, and inclusion. It will consider lessons for towns and cities around engagement, regeneration, and local identity.

The webinar is open to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and students worldwide and counts as Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Webinar

IPM Webinar - Mexico and Football

Online

Date: TBC

IPM Members and non members

As part of a series of events exploring the relationship between football and place, Prof Steve Millington will appear on a webinar with the Center for Research on North America to discuss football and its impact on place-making, as Mexico prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in summer 2026.

The discussion will examine how major sporting events shape urban identity, infrastructure, community engagement and long-term place development, reflecting on both opportunities and challenges for host cities.

Webinar

Overtourism and Place

Online

Date: TBC

IPM Members and non members

Overtourism is an increasingly pressing challenge for towns, cities, and destinations worldwide, affecting communities, infrastructure, identity, and quality of life. This IPM webinar explores overtourism and place, drawing on research from Manchester Metropolitan University and wider place-based practice.

The session will share research from the latest special issue of the Journal of Place Management and Development on overtourism and place. It will consider impacts, trade-offs, and practical responses for place leaders, policymakers, and practitioners.

The webinar is open to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and students worldwide and counts as Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Previous Events

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